Meet UPB New Player Development Summer Interns: Noemie Bariteau and Kaden Holdbrook

By: Dylan Tehada

Both Noemie Bariteau and Kaden Holdbrook grew up hooping. Bariteau and Holdbrook bring a genuine passion for basketball that they will undoubtedly share with everyone at UPBasketball in their new roles as Player Development Interns. Both of them have thrived in their careers and bring a great deal of knowledge and wisdom to guide the next generation of Bay Area hoopers.

Noemie Bariteau grew up in San Jose and has been playing ball since second grade when she played for Upward Basketball. From that moment on, she fell in love with the game and began to play more competitively. She joined an All-Star NJB team where she got to travel and then played for her middle school team. It was always a goal of hers to play high school ball, and that dream came to fruition when she committed to Archbishop Mitty High School to play for one of the most prestigious women’s basketball programs in the whole country. Her game grew leaps and bounds while at Mitty, and her hard work paid off as she received a D1 offer to play at Seattle University. After her sophomore year, Noemie transferred to Westmont College in Santa Barbara, where she will be playing this upcoming season.

Even though this is Bariteau’s first summer as a player development intern, she is no stranger to the UPB community. While she was a sophomore at Archbishop Mitty she was determined to make the Varsity team for the upcoming season and put in hours of work training at the UPB facility. Training at UPB on a daily basis gave her a glimpse into the hard work and dedication it took to elevate her game, and to this day she continues to embrace everything the UPB community has to offer. 

“Ever since [my first time training at UPB] I have loved it there. The coaches are just so encouraging and every time I would train [at UPB] I would get better and feel so accomplished. Even though the workout was only an hour it felt so fulfilling,” Bariteau said.

Bariteau has learned a lot on and off the court throughout her young career. In addition to developing on the court qualities like being coachable and developing synergy with her teammates, perhaps the biggest impact basketball has had according to Bariteau is helping her develop intangible, off-court skills like a strong work ethic and dedication. She strives to teach both basketball skills and off the court skills in a fun and encouraging way as she begins her stint as an intern at UPB.

“I want to impact young athletes by being motivating and encouraging. I want them to have fun, because the game of basketball is supposed to be fun and I want to help athletes love the game of basketball,” Bariteau said

Kaden Holdbrook has been hooping his whole life starting by simply playing at the park and his local YMCA. As he continued to develop his game, he started to play more competitively at the AAU level and three years at Jordan Middle School. After promoting from middle school, he attended Gunn High School and played varsity ball there starting his freshman year. He racked up the accolades winning team MVP his sophomore year and leading Gunn to the semifinals. He then transferred to Asheville School in North Carolina, where he won All-Conference honors during his junior and senior year and led his team to two conference titles. During his senior year, he committed to playing at Macalester college and just wrapped up his freshman year there. 

Throughout his career, Holbrook has always embraced the fun side of basketball. He always strives to find joy every time he hoops and spreads the love and passion he has for the game with everyone he encounters. As a player development intern, he seeks to spread this message of having fun with the UPB community.

“Basketball means a lot to me as it has always been my favorite thing to do even if it just means playing pickup with my friends. I think it gives me a space to have fun no matter what else is going on in my life,” Holdbrook said.

We are excited to witness the contributions Bariteau and Holdbrook will make to the UPB community and look forward to seeing how they share their knowledge and passion for basketball with all the athletes they train!